Ladder mount



Jan. 7, 1936. T. HOOKER 2,026,535

LADDER MOUNT Filed April 1, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l 16 s 14 k a ['1' .4."F n .1 5 6 Q a y 14 6 ro' 4 x v a 5 4 I I! 4 15 4 I 15 f 1 5 5 IATTORNEY.

Jan. 7, 1936.

- "r. HOOKER 2,026,535

LADDER MOUNT Filed April 1, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig 5 12 12 ThomasHooker INVENTOR.

ATTORAZ'Y'.

Patented Jan. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- 4 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of ladders, and more particularly toan improved ladder mount assembly.

While many methods of mounting ladders have been devised, all of thosewith which I am familiar are complicated and heavy, they usually requiremore than one man to operate unless power operating mechanism isemployed, and they are not sufiiciently simple and eifective to renderthem suitable for general use, as for highway lighting repair trucks,and. similar uses.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a new andimproved ladder mount which is simple and easy to operate so that it canbe operated by one man without the aid of power mechanism.

It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improvedladder mount which is adapted for attachment to a light truck and, whenso mounted, can be conveniently carried thereon and elevated intoposition at will.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a new and improvedladder mount which is rotatable to any desired position when elevated,

' in order to enable the operator to reach over a parked vehicle orother obstruction.

With the above and. other obj eets in view, which will be apparent asthe description proceeds, I have set forth my invention in the followingspecification and have illustrated it in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. l is an elevation of my improved turret ladder mount assembly.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section on the line 3--3 of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a partial elevation showing details of the ladder attachmentwith the ladder in elevated position,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the complete ladder mount assemblypositioned on a truck with the ladder in the carry position, and

Fig. 6 is a partial elevation corresponding to Fig. 4, but showing theladder mounted offcenter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1-3thereof, my improved ladder mount preferably comprises a perforatedsteel base plate I, which may be conveniently cut away for the sake oflightness to form spaced ribs, by means of which the entireself-contained ladder mount may be conveniently bolted to any desiredsupporting means. Mounted on said base, with the aid of steel gussetplates 2, is the main turret support for my ladder assembly,

which comprises a hollow column 3 formed. of a standard steel pipesection. This is preferably seated in an orifice 3 in the base l, and ispreferably welded to said base. The gusset plates 2 are also preferablyWelded to both the base I and the column 3.

At its upper end, column 3 is externally threaded to receive acorrespondingly threaded collar 4, which may conveniently be formed of asteel pipe fiange. This provides a wide bearing friction surface forengagement with the rotative ladder attachment assembly.

The latter preferably comprises a mating steel collar 5 that is in turnprovided with a. yoke member 6 secured thereto in any desired manner, asby Welding, and provided with aligned orifices 6 in its ends to receivea ladder pivot l6. 5 is provided with a plurality of orifices 5' thatare adapted to register with one of a series of orifices 4', in collar4, to permit the secure fastening of the ladder in a desired rotativeposition. In practice I prefer to provide 12 of the orifices 4', spacedapart equally, and 3 of the orifices 5 spaced 15 apart at the rear ofcollar 5. The collars 4 and 5 are locked in any desired position byinserting a tapered pin 4" in registering orifices 5' and 4'.

Collar 5 is also provided with a steel sleeve member 7 welded theretoand adapted to be telescoped into column 3, with which a tight fit is rsecured as thru the aid of two or more steel spacing collars 8 that arewelded to the upper and lower portions of the sleeve member 1, thuspreventing play between column 3 and the sleeve member I. This alsoprovides a snug fit for the ladder assembly and permits the securing ofthe maximum strength of the assembled parts. To render the interior ofthe rotative ladder attachment assembly waterproof, one or moreplates 9are welded to the sleeve 1 and to the yoke 6. These may be of anydesired form, as a pair of segments or a single disc.

Two steel collars I0 are preferably spot welded to the external column3, said collars being spaced apart to accommodate a rotatable split asteel collar H snugly therebetween, said rotatable collar beingpreferably formed with clamp ing jaws having aligned orifices II toreceive a pin H for retaining a pivoted attachment link 2. The latter ispreferably provided with a plurality of apertured hooks I2, eitherintegral therewith or welded thereto, to permit a limited adjustment ofthe angle of elevation of a ladder l5, which may conveniently be boltedbetween a pair of steel side plates l3. The ladder assem- Collar bly,comprising the ladder l5 and the side plates I3, is pivotally secured tothe yoke 6 by means of a pivot rod I 6, and is secured to the link l2,when the ladder is in elevated position, by causing one of the hooks I2to engage a rod I! on the ladder assembly, against which it is securelyheld by inserting a pin l2" through the hook apertures. Rod i7 ispreferably a special steel r'ung securely fastened to the ladder framel3, to give added strength, but it may be a rung of the ladder wheredesired.

A grease coupling [4 is provided in the collar 5 for lubrication of thebearing surfaces between the latter and the collar 4.

As indicated in Fig. 5, the ladder assembly is normally maintained inthe carry or horizontal position by the weight of the ladder, although astrap I 8 is provided for securing the ladder assembly to any convenientpart of the supporting vehicle. In the present case the supporting meanscomprises a saddle E9 on a truck 20.

When it is desired to move the ladder to elevated position it is onlynecessary to undo the strap I8 and pull down on the short end of theladder, to rock it on the pivot l6, and then secure it at the desiredelevation by causing one of the hooks 12 to engage the rod l1 andsecuring it in this position with pin 12'. The ladder l5, which is ofany desired type, may then be extended in any well known way, thedetails of the ladder itself and its method of extension forming no partof the present invention.

Owing to the rotatability of the ladder attachment assembly, includingthe ladder l5, side plates l3 and collars 5 and H on column 3, theladder in the elevated position may be rotated to any desired point,thus enabling the operator to reach points forward, rearward or sideways of the supporting vehicle, regardless of obstructions which may beencountered adjacent and immediately beneath the overhead point which itis desired to reach.

The ladder attachment assembly may be locked in any desired rotativeposition in the construction illustrated at 15 intervals by means of thetapered pin 4". It will be obvious, however, that I am not limited toany particular number or relation of the orifices 4 and 5', and thatthese may be varied to permit of securing any desired degree ofadjustment. The locking of the ladder in a desired rotative position isof particular importance, both from a safety and an operatingstandpoint, where the supporting vehicle is not resting on level ground,as the resulting tilting of the column 3 would tend to cause a rotationof the extended ladder. This is prevented by the engagement of the pin4" with the orifices 4 and 5'.

Although various movable parts of my ladder mount are described hereinas preferably made of steel, they may be made of any other suitablematerial. In practice, however, I prefer steel because of itsavailability in commercial forms, as well as its strength anddurability.

I also prefer to make the column 3 and sleeve 1 out of standard seamlesssteel pipe sections because these are well adapted for the purpose andare readily obtainable, but other materials, including speciallyfabricated parts, may be used where desired.

As shown in Fig. 6, the ladder may be mounted on the central column orturret in off-center position, i. e., toward the rear of the column.This not only forms a more steady construction when the ladder is inextended position, with the operator near the top thereof, but itfacilitates the securing of the ladder at a higher angle of elevation.

It will thus be apparent that I have developed a new and useful laddermount which is extremely simple in design and economical inconstruction. It is also easily operated by one man owing to itscompactness and lightness, as well as simplicity, and provides arelatively inexpensive unit which may easily be attached to light weighttrucks or other vehicles, to secure a means of speedy and economicalpatrolling, as in the case of the proper inspection and maintenance of.street lights, highway lights and traflic lights.

My improved construction also provides a neat, compact and efiicientstructure which does not interfere with the drivers rear vision in aside mirror.

While welding, as by the use of acetylene or electricity, has beenreferred to herein as the preferred method of permanently unitingcertain parts of my ladder mount, I do not wish to be limited thereto.

It will also be apparent that I have devised a self-contained laddermount which is adaptable for 360 operation, and one in which the weightof the ladder in the operating position is entirely taken up on thecentral column or turret.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to beunderstood that I do not limit myself to the foregoing details ofconstruction, except as indicated in the following patent claims,

I claim:

1. A ladder mount comprising a circular supporting column, a sleeverotatably mounted on said column, a ladder pivotally secured to saidrotatable sleeve, and means for removably securing the lower end of saidladder to said column, said means comprising a collar, means forlimiting the raising and lowering of said collar without restricting itsrotative movement, and rigid means for connecting the ladder to thecollar.

2. A ladder mount comprising a circular supporting column, a bearingsurface secured to the upper end thereof, a sleeve rotatably supportedin said column and. provided with a bearing surface for rotativeengagement with said first mentioned bearing surface, means forpivotally securing a ladder to said second mentioned bearing surface,and means for locking said ladder in a desired rotative position.

3. A ladder mount comprising a circular supporting column, a sleeverotatably mounted on said column, a ladder pivotally secured to saidrotatable sleeve, and means for removably securing the lower end of saidladder to said column, said means comprising a split collar, means forlimiting the raising and lowering of said collar without restricting itsrotative movement, and rigid means for connecting the ladder to thesplit collar.

4. A ladder mount comprising a circular supporting column, a bearingsurface securedto the upper end thereof, a sleeve rotatably supported insaid column and provided with a bearing surface for rotative engagementwith said first mentioned bearing surface, and means for pivotallysecuring a ladder to said second mentioned bearing surface.

THOMAS HOOKER.

